Northrop Grumman Corporation’s (NYSE: NOC) digitally designed and manufactured large solid rocket motor successfully completed a static fire test at U.S. Air Force Arnold Engineering Development Complex. In addition to advanced model-based systems engineering (MBSE) used to design the high-performance second stage motor, a digital environment was also applied to the facilities and tools to manufacture the propulsion system. All test objectives were met during the event with performance data anchoring the digital model, confirming the motor’s performance and demonstrating the company’s ability to successfully build to design requirements using a digital environment. MBSE enables teams to extract data that enhances manufacturing processes and design evaluation, improves response to market demands, accelerates the implementation of process improvements and augments the company’s production capabilities.
Jim Kalberer, vice president, propulsion systems: “We are using digital solutions across our business to produce solid rocket motors with speed, which is transforming how we design, test and manufacture the next generation of systems. The company’s propulsion business uses this level of engineering to deploy an advanced approach for newly developed rocket motors that are pushing model-based tools further than ever before.”
The test event was the company’s second successful static firing of a fully digitally designed large solid rocket motor. The first was the Common 50 High-Performance (C50HP) upper stage motor that can be adapted to support final stages of propulsion in the region outside of Earth’s atmosphere. The second stage motor is optimized for high-altitude flight and provides the required boost to transition payloads out of the atmosphere and into space. C50HP is the company’s first large solid rocket motor system entirely designed and developed in a digital environment using model-based systems engineering.This static test qualified the versatile motor for flight, validated digital modeling and simulations and demonstrated the design’s maturity and performance of the motor. Full pressure and structural qualification testing was completed for C50HP, confirming the advanced design’s capability to withstand various loads and extreme environments.
The digital lifecycle will help improve technical performance by allowing engineers to quickly incorporate design and performance requirements into the physical product. Now complete through design, build and test, the high-performance C50HP upper stage motor expands the capabilities of Northrop Grumman’s existing and future rocket motor systems by offering increased capability for national defense and commercial applications. Northrop Grumman Corporation is an American multinational aerospace and defense company. With 95,000 employees and an annual revenue in excess of $30 billion, it is one of the world’s largest weapons manufacturers and military technology providers.
Northrop Grumman organized its business around four main sectors, each of which comprises two or more business areas:Aeronautics Systems, Defense Systems, Mission Systems and Space Systems.
Aeronautics Systems
